1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in fishing lures. In particular, it is an improvement in fishing lures comprised of a soft polymeric body and the combination with a hook/leadhead device.
2. Related Art
Over the years fishermen in their quest for the most realistic lures have adopted a combination lure comprising a jig having a lead weighted head in the general shape of a fish head and a fish hook extending from the rear for use with a variety of soft, flexible bodies called lure bodies here. The lure bodies are generally made of a soft, flexible polymeric resin which can be molded into the shape of any number of desired baits such as minnows, shrimp or worms. An advantage of using the separate jig and lure body is that lure bodies are relatively inexpensive and can be replaced when worn or broken.
In the prior art as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the jig, generally indicated at 1 is most often made of two parts a fish hook 2 having an eye 3 at one end of a shank 4 and a barbed hook 5 at the other end, and a weighted leadhead 6 which is usually of lead which is molded about the hook. The hooks are available in a variety of configurations including that shown having a bend as at 7 to place the eye in a position that gives the preferred movement through the water.
Previously the complete lure is assembled by passing the barbed end of the hook into the front end of a lure body and passing the barb and hook through and along the central axis of the lure body until the shank of the jig 8 is pressed into the lure body and the barb is allowed to extend out of the lure body. This assembly is much like baiting a hook with live bait.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,768 issued to Pippert adequately describes the prior art and an improvement for the lure body member and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Other varieties of fish hooks are also available such as the double hook shown in FIG. 5. However, the double hook shown there previously could not be used with a lure body because both barbs cannot be simultaneously threaded through the lure body. Likewise other multiple hook arrangements cannot be accommodated for the same reason.
Finally the threading process is rather slow and tedious making the change of lure bodies a slow process. Pippert's improvement consists of pre-formed bores in the lure body to facilitate this process.
The present invention simplifies the changing of lure bodies and at the same time allows for a variety of hook, leadhead and lure body combinations. It is an advantage of the present invention that multiple hooks can be employed with the flexible lure body. It is a further advantage that the hook, whether single or multiple, can be readily and quickly changed or replaced. It is a further advantage that the hook may be positioned further back along the body than can be achieved with a conventional jig.